Tour of Britain upgraded to HC status by UCI

British Cycling is delighted to confirm that the Tour of Britain will sit alongside some of professional cycling’s most famous events after being upgraded to HC status by the UCI for 2014 and beyond.

The eight-day stage race, which takes place this year from the 7th to the 14th September, has been awarded 2.HC status by the UCI, the world governing body, meaning it is now on a par with major events such as the Tour of California, the Tour of Turkey and the Criterium International.

Reacting to the announcement, Cycle Sport and Membership director, Jonny Clay said: “We're delighted that the Tour of Britain has attained a place alongside some of the most historic races on the global cycling calendar.

“This is a well-deserved recognition of the status of the sport in Britain and of the work that British Cycling has done to put Great Britain amongst the top cycling nations in the world.

Sir Bradley Wiggins won the 2013 Tour of Britain

“Credit must be given to SweetSpot for their stewardship of the race to date and we look forward to working with them over the next five years to continue the growth of the event as both a monument of the sport and as a British sporting success.”

The reputation of the Tour of Britain has been growing in recent years with larger crowds watching increasingly high-profile fields.

Last year’s event was won by Sir Bradley Wiggins, as he overcame a field that also included Tour de France stage winners such as Mark Cavendish, Nairo Quintana and Dan Martin.

Achieving HC status was one of the key targets of the new agreement with organisers SweetSpot, when the latest five-year agreement was announced last July.

SweetSpot race director, Mick Bennett, said: “We are delighted by today’s announcement, which comes as a culmination of ten year’s hard work by the SweetSpot team.

“The award of 2.HC status is another step forward for the Tour of Britain, and we look forward to this September’s edition of the race being the best yet.

“The upgrade is also a reward for the many hundreds of thousands of spectators who have lined the route and cheered on the race over the past decade.”

Further details for this year’s route are due to be announced in the spring, with full details appearing on the British Cycling website.